trojan
Wednesday, June 27, 1984	University of Southern California	Volume XCVI, Number 6
Track athletes provide test run for university's Olympic plans
Plotin said during the Olympic Trials each athlete came as an individual whereas during the Games the athletes will be part of a team and will have a spokesman who will work with housing and food service personnel.
He anticpates things to run more smoothly during the Olympic Games because of the extensive planning. Matsuda has been meeting with Olympic officials twice a week for the past year.
The athletes used the ARCO Olympic Warm Up Track at Cromwell Field for practice prior to their events, and when they were ready, a shuttle bus drove them to the Coliseum, Matsuda said.
A1 Joyner, a second place finisher who will represent the United States in the triple jump, said he only used the ARCO Track and the shuttle during the preliminary’ competition. He said he preferred to warm up at the Coliseum during the finals because he felt uncomfortable warming up around the other athletes.
Joyner's sister Jackie, who set a new American record in the heptathalon and placed second in the long jump, said she “was not inconvenienced by the shuttling and thought the system worked pretty good."
Both Joyners agreed that the only problem with the meet was the attitude of the officials.
"They treated us like we were the enemy," Al Joyner said.
Jackie Joyner explained that the officials who were controlling the tunnels which provided access to the field kept the athletes in the waiting area too long.
(Continued on page 2)
STARR SCHAFTEL DAILY TROJAN
It became a familiar sight last week to see world class track stars practicing at Cromwell Field before the U.S. Olympic Trials.
By Carol Ann Coates
Staff Writer
The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum June 16-24, provided a pre-Olympic test for the Games' organizers as well as the athletes competing for a spot on the team.
Although the track meet was organized and sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, it provided the proving ground necessary for university and Olympic officials to test their plans.
Sandy Plotin, conference coordinator, was responsible for meeting with representatives from the Times and the Athletic Congress to set up the accommodations for approximately 700 athletes who were housed in North and South Complexes during the competition.
She said she felt it was a good trial run for the Games in terms of housekeeping and scheduling
Extra staff was added to provide a daily maid service for the athletes and EVK Dining Hall was opened to provide their meals.
She said evaluation cards were put in each of the rooms, and that the early response indicates the athletes were happy with the housing facilities.
There was some confusion during the first few days of the meet because not all of the athletes stayed on campus.
Some athletes commuted from their homes while others arrived the night before the meet and did not have enough time to read their instruction packets, said Ken Matsuda, assistant track coach under retired head coach Vern Wolfe.
"We needed this experience," said Matsuda, who was with the athletes every day.
Olympicnic: Troians gather for Village preview
By Joann Galardy
Editor
Trojans, past, present and future, will gather on the campus this Sunday to get a sneak preview of the Olympic Village during Olympicnic, an all-university extravaganza expected to attract about 45,000 visitors.
"It is fair to say that this is the largest production the university has ever undertaken," said Donna Gaston, director of Alumni Special Events.
The General Alumni Association, which is sponsoring the event, has planned a full day of activities beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m.
The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee as well as Food Services and the Trojan Bookstore will be using the day as a training day for staff members who will be working during the Games, Gaston said.
The festivities will begin at the Olympic Swim Stadium where the LAOOC will sponsor swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming competitions from 10 a.m. until noon.
"We have worked very closely with the LAOOC so their people can get a feel for what things will be like during the Olympics," Gaston said.
She said the LAOOC staff will be running through Olympic procedures such as taking tickets, ushering, and even staging a mock medal awards ceremony.
One of the day's highlights will be a noontime parade which will begin at the Olympic Swim Stadium and conclude in Alumni Park where about 90 Trojan Olympians will be greeted by University President James Zumberge. During the parade the Olympians will be escorted by the Trojan Marching Band and Traveler, the Trojan mascot.
Gaston said the committee, which has been planning the event since January, has gotten a tremendous response from the media, university departments, and volunteers, 200 of which will be on hand during the day's activities.
The university is also expecting to play host to a number of Olympic and government officials including Peter Ueberroth, president of the LAOOC, and Mayor Tom Bradley.
The event will be the focus of attention for the media with ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN all scheduling coverage.
Admission and parking will be free to the spectators and programs will be distributed so they may follow the day's events.
There will be a multitude of tours, speeches, and exhibits for those people who want to keep busy. There will also be picnic areas available to those people who want to pack their favorite foods and spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon under a shady tree. Hot dogs and barbecued hamburgers will be on sale from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Commons Cafeteria w'ill be open from 11 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For those people with more adventurous taste buds, international cuisine will be served at the newly built West Dining Hall, which will be dedicated Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Meals will be served at the dining hall by reservation only and Gaston said Food Services expects to serve about 2,000 people.
DAN CANALES DAILY TROJAN
The roof of the Sunshine Mission, 2600 South Hoover Street, was badly burned in a fire on Sunday See story on page 2.
Spectators can spend the day touring the campus in guided tours which will be held every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting from the Alumni House.
Tours of the Olympic venue will be conducted from 10:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.
For those people who want to go exploring on their own, they can stop by Norris Theater to view Olympic films by Bud Greenspan, the official filmmaker of the Games. The films will be shown from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Greenspan on hand to answer questions from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tourists walking the campus can purchase Olympic gifts at the stands set up by the bookstore and are likely to encounter Sam the Eagle, the Olympic mascot along the way who will be posing for family pictures throughout the day.
After posing with Sam the Eagle the children can participate in Troylympics, an informal sports competition for children ages 6 to 12 at Cromwell Field.
In addition, the USC Jazz Band will put on a concert in Alumni Park at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and recreational swimming will be available in the Physical Education building from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gaston said the Alumni Association came up with the Olympicnic idea after receiving a number of inquiries from curious alumni who wanted to see the campus before the Olympic Village is closed to the public on July 7.
The GAA then presented the idea to the LAOOC. Gaston said Olympic officials were apprehensive at first because of the short time between Olympicnic and the start of the Games. However, she said the committee was sold on the idea when the Alumni Association emphasized that the event would be in a "controlled atmosphere" and allow a rehearsal for the Games.